The Kick and Scream...

My daughter has to nap every day. If she misses her nap or even gets to her bed later than normal she starts having a melt down. There is a crazy voice sound that she makes only at this time, she does quite a bit of running around (mostly to get away from my lets go to bed hands), and when I've finally grasped her there is a bit of thrashing, crying, head throwing etc. Throughout the entire process I have her on my hip saying "Yes, I know love, you're tired, it's gonna be ok, almost there," as I hummm. When we finally arrive in her room I grab her favorite blanket and put it on my shoulder where she can lay her head on it and I begin to sing her night night song. It's a song I wrote for her on an airplane flying to or from Europe while I was pregnant with her. As soon as the song starts there is silence from her and relaxation. Her arms drop to her side and her head snuggles against my shoulder. I sing a verse and a chorus and another verse all taking probably about a minute and she is asleep. I lay her down and she sleeps peacefully and wakes happily later.

I just put Scarlett down for a nap where this played out and as she lay on my shoulder I started thinking about the fighting that she did. Why? She is exhausted, she desperately needs the nap and yet she fights it. So why does she kick and scream? As my mind tiptoed over these thoughts I began seeing the spiritual. I think about my kick and scream moments and then neared tears as I thought of my Heavenly Father whispering calmly to me "Yes, I know love, you're tired, it's gonna be ok, almost there." Then I remembered and can now grasp more fully this verse:

Zephaniah 3:17

"17 The LORD your God in your midst,
The Mighty One, will save;
He will rejoice over you with gladness,
He will quiet you with His love,
He will rejoice over you with singing.”